English Fluency and Confidence: 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Practice
This lesson on common mistakes to avoid in your English fluency and confidence has been updated to include newer content and a video was added to the lesson. It was originally created in January 2016.
Today I want to ask you: Are you making some mistakes that are hurting your English fluency and confidence goals?
Maybe you’ve been studying and practicing English for years. Maybe you even live in an English-speaking country. But speaking English is still a challenge.
And you might be doing everything right. You’re listening to podcasts, watching TV, doing a little English every day but nothing works. If that is true for you, then today I want to share 5 English learning mistakes you might be making. Unfortunately, these mistakes stop your progress in English fluency and confidence.
But they don’t have to. I’m going to tell you exactly how to stop making them.
In fact, these 5 mistakes are 100% avoidable. In today’s video lesson, I want to help you:
- Identify if you are making some of these mistakes
- Learn how to stop making them so you can make progress in your English instead
- Avoid the stress, the frustration, and the feeling of being stuck that is a result of making these common mistakes
So if you can speak English but…
- you always feel nervous and ask your colleagues to speak for you instead.
- you lose your words, you forget what you want to say, and you can’t say what you want in English.
- you’re so worried about mistakes or your pronunciation so you decide to stay quiet.
- you’re always shy, nervous, and stressed. You’re tired and frustrated. You worked so hard in English but nothing worked.
Then you might be making some of these mistakes. Let’s change that.
Are you making one of these common mistakes in your English?
Lesson by Annemarie
Essential Tips to Make Progress in Your English Fluency and Confidence
In today’s video lesson, I shared several tips and resources that can help you begin making progress in your English today.
Here are the links you need to access those resources:
- Ready to start listening to some new podcasts in English (and practice speaking about them)? Check out my lesson on The 11 Best Podcasts for Your English.
- Looking for an opportunity to practice speaking English with others? There might be a group in your community to practice English with on MeetUp.com.
- If you’re not ready to practice speaking with someone, if you’d prefer to practice on your own, then use the strategies I share in my free fluency training: How to Say What You Want in English.
- Or if you feel too shy and nervous to start a conversation with someone, I have a special training on how to start conversations in English without feeling shy. You can get my lesson: How to Start a Conversation with Anyone in English.
- And finally, if you’re ready to invest in you and in your English, join me for my next Fluency School course.
After you’ve watched the video, I want to hear from you.
Have you been making one of the mistakes I shared in today’s lesson? If today you realized you’re making one of these mistakes and you’re ready to make some changes, I’d love to hear about it.
I’d like to support you and motivate you. In the comments below, tell me:
- What is one thing you’re going to change in your English practice?
- What is one step you’re ready to take today and tomorrow and the next day to make progress in your English fluency and confidence?
I look forward to hearing from you and supporting you.
~ Annemarie
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Annemarie,
Your teaching on confident English Speaking is very interesting.
I am a practising lawyer. Although I trust my written English very well, it is not exactly so with oral English. I’m interested in having a complete confident spoken English course. Do you extend your courses to men? Do you have online courses? What is the course curriculum?
I will appreciate if you can furnish me the details, please.
Best regards.
Austin Abhulimen
Hi Austin, thanks so much for the comment and questions.
Indeed, my courses are open to men and women.
Our company mission is women-focused and we have a women-only community, however, my Fluency School course and Confident Job Interview course are open to all. Everything we do is offered online. You can learn more here: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/courses
Hi Annemarie, I want to thank you for the “Tough Love instructions”. I am sure now that I am making mistake no. 2 – Doing everything that I can but not practicing enough English speaking. I will try to find a partner who can help me in practice and will utilize some of your suggestions.
Thanks,
Bhushan
I wish you much success as you continue your practice, Bhushan!
Exactly,
On the way to avoid giving up.
Your information about fluency has been very interessting. The matter is indeed that one has the one or other reason to avoid frequently learning . Finally is important that one can understand and get understood.
Hello ,just found you and listend to your five steps to fluency….. and I cant just stop there so I joined you here. Thanks
I have a trouble with my inbox.
I signed up few times ago and I can’t receive mail.
Hi there
Wanna be fluent English Speaker Ma’m.
Thnx in advance
Best Regards
Ahmed Farouk
Hi Ahmed, thank you for your comment. Becoming confident in another language is such a challenge and it takes so much time and patience. If you haven’t yet, I strongly recommend downloading the How to Say What You Want training: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english/ to take some first steps in becoming more confident. In this free training, Annemarie shares her recommended strategies for how to make progress. I recommend you download the training and practice the methods she shares.
Best,
Tanya
I just decided to improve my speaking and communication skills but i dont know where to begin my learning journey
Thankyou for sharing your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks,annemarie for your help,I feel same mistakes as stress and lose what i want to Day when trying to talk some one
The One thing I’m going to change in my English practice is stop reading and start speaking !
The One step I’m ready to take today ans tomorrow ans the next day to make progress in my English fluency an confidence is to commit and discipline to what I said about the one thing I’m going to change
Dear Annemarie, Yes, It’s true. The main key to the confident in English is actually your appeal or the appeal of someone. It might be a friend, a girlfriend, or a teacher, or a peer with whom I can be honest. The mind of this person can be a bed for my reception. So it is the most important thing, that has to be a comfortable bed in the mind of the partner, where I’m feeling in confident. I might share my say to this person with my simple word or phrases, and not to have any fear of my… Read more »
Hello András,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and what has been important to you in your progress. It’s been a pleasure to have you in Fluency School and Advanced Conversation and to see you continue to make progress. Your hard work and effort are paying off.
Thank you for your support! I never give up,it’s hard but I know it takes time to be fluent in English, I am patient and I do everything to reach my goals! I believe in me and I know that one day I will be able to speak English confident,like I speak my first language! Practicing,this is the key! Step by step,day by day!
You’re so welcome, Amalia. Thank you for your comment. And it sounds like you have the right attitude! I’m happy to know that you’re not giving up. You’re exactly right – step by step, day by day! 🙌
Hello, Annemaria, I think that this lesson is not a lesson at all:). In fact it is a highly motivating appeal for every learner! If we are talking seriously, I can say that I absolutely agree with you that only frequent speaking makes speaking better and fluent. As for my personal experience I can say that I was afraid of making mistakes, I tried to form the phrase in my mind and only then say. Later when I saw people who knew English much worse than me but they could understand foreigners better, react quicker, SPEAK more fluent (even in… Read more »
Hello Olga – Oh, I am always so happy to hear from you! And I really like what you said: a highly motivating appeal for every learner. I hope so! It is important to know and believe that fluency is achievable. And I have a very similar experience as you. 🙂 I wanted to be correct first in everything, then speak. But I realized I just had to try. And when I started to try, I started to become fluent. For me it was really important to have a teacher and a few other people I was really comfortable with… Read more »